Local waste management company enters plea after deadly explosion

In December of 2012 an explosion at Environmental Enterprises, Inc. killed Zachary Henzerling. It happened near Spring Grove and Station Avenues.

Officials said that a fire started as a result of the shredding of a contaminated filter, which sparked a friction fire which turned into a flash fire.

Wednesday morning in court, a representative of the company entered a corporate plea to one count of misdemeanor negligent homicide.

"It's good that there's some accountability to it, buts it's not the level accountability for loss life. For someone that's touched so many lives. That's just, you can't get that back, said Henzerling relative Alan McKinney.

Initially, EEI was charged with nine counts, including involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, tampering with records, tampering with evidence, and violating the terms of a solid waste license.

"I've waited four and a half years your honor, four and a half years for answers, four and a half years for some semblance of regret or responsibly that has never transpired,” he said.

In a statement released Wednesday by EEI's President, Dan McCabe, it reads in part, "The tragedy that killed our employee happened because the filters were mislabeled by others before they were shipped to EEI. We had no idea we were being shipped something that would explode. EEI extends its sympathies to our employee's family."

"It's a sad day in Ohio, if someone could get on the job for three weeks, be poisoned and then burned alive and the company could walk without going to jail,” said James Henzerling.